Description
Classic homemade French croissants with a shatteringly flaky exterior and a soft, honeycombed interior. Made with simple ingredients, careful lamination, and patience, these buttery pastries bring true French bakery flavor to your home kitchen.
Ingredients
4 cups (500 g) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (50 g) granulated sugar
1 tablespoon (10 g) salt
1 tablespoon (10 g) active dry yeast
1 1/4 cups (300 ml) warm milk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 cup (225 g) unsalted butter, cold (for butter block)
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk (for egg wash)
Instructions
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, combine flour, sugar, and salt.
- Dissolve yeast in warm milk and let stand 5–10 minutes until foamy.
- Add the milk mixture and melted butter to the dry ingredients and knead until smooth, about 3–5 minutes.
- Shape dough into a flat square, wrap, and chill while preparing butter.
- Roll cold butter between parchment into a 6-inch square and keep chilled.
- Roll dough into a 12-inch square. Place butter diagonally in the center and fold dough corners over to fully enclose.
- Roll into an 8×20-inch rectangle and fold into thirds like a letter (first turn). Wrap and chill 30 minutes.
- Repeat rolling, folding, and chilling two more times for a total of three turns.
- After the final chill, roll dough to about 1/4-inch thickness.
- Trim edges and cut dough into triangles about 5 inches wide at the base.
- Stretch each triangle slightly and roll from the base to the tip to form croissants.
- Place on baking sheets, cover loosely, and proof at room temperature for 1.5–2 hours until puffy.
- Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Whisk egg with milk and brush croissants gently.
- Bake for 18–22 minutes, rotating halfway, until deep golden brown.
- Cool on a wire rack for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Notes
Keep dough and butter cold to maintain flaky layers.
Chill dough immediately if butter begins to soften or leak.
Trim edges for better rise and cleaner layers.
High-fat unsalted butter gives best lamination results.
Croissants should feel puffy and jiggly before baking.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 croissant
- Calories: 280
- Sugar: 5 g
- Sodium: 310 mg
- Fat: 17 g
- Saturated Fat: 10 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 26 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 6 g
- Cholesterol: 65 mg
